Saluting the Chromecast, one of the great HDMI dongles
by Wes Davis from The Verge - All Posts on (#6PTW5)
The Chromecast, in The Verge's first review. | Image: The Verge When I was still a starry-eyed 20-something living with my then-fiancee, the only way I could stream video on my TV was through its HDMI ports and my laptop. This had served me well for years - and still does, when I'm desperate - but dealing with the setup was cumbersome.
Then came the original Chromecast in 2013, and it was a revelation. Suddenly, I had this tiny black stick, shaped like an oversized key, that plugged right into my TV's HDMI port and let me cast video through the air and onto my 55-inch screen in glorious high definition. And all it cost was $35? Incredible, especially in 2013.
It felt like pure magic. It was a basically invisible device that I didn't even need an app for, and it let me beam music and video to my TV...